YEOSU/KOREA – (May 14, 2012) – Christie®, the official contents sponsor for Expo 2012 Yeosu Expo, is pleased to announce the Organizing Committee for Expo 2012 has selected Christie Roadie HD+35K projectors for its signature multimedia night show. Set against the natural backdrop of the Yeosu Sea, the 47-meter high Big-O is the world’s largest water curtain and the landmark installation at the expo.
Designed and directed by France-based ECA2, who were involved in shows such as the opening and closing ceremonies of the 1998 World Cup in France and the Eiffel Tower Millennium Show, the “O” stands for the ocean and resembles the numerical zero to illustrate a new beginning for the sea. The show is expected to remain as a permanent centerpiece after Expo.
Two sets of triple-stacked Christie Roadie HD+35Ks, the world’s brightest and best DLP® projectors, project a short animated film about ocean conservation onto the water screen at the internal rim of the “O,” which is located about 100 meters away. To complete this show, the “Fountain Show,” staged by the US-based WET Design, also utilizes four sets of dual-stacked Christie HD+35Ks projecting content onto three sets of fountain jets located at distances of 20 meters, 25 meters and 30 meters respectively. The nightly multimedia show also includes other special effects such as moving water jets, mist, flames, lighting, and laser works.
“Christie HD+35K projectors are wonderful. They’re bright and offer superior quality. We’re getting a brightness level of more than 200 nits, which is more than what we expect. Even under strong wind conditions which affect the water screen, we’re still getting the clarity and the exact image focal point,” comments Guillaume Duflot, chief of operations & technical director, ECA2. “We have an excellent ongoing relationship with Christie, having collaborated with them on many projects in many parts of the world including Singapore and China over the last five years. As a company, they’re ultra-responsive and offer products of the highest quality.”
“Projecting onto moving waters is a challenging task. The Christie projectors are able to fully maximize the potential of our fountain show by adding a surreal touch. We’re very happy with the results as they really bring the whole show to life,” comments Helen Park, senior vice president, WET Design.
“The images projected by the Christie projectors are visually stunning and they have definitely met or even surpassed the requirements set out by the Organizing Committee for Expo 2012 Yeosu Korea for the Big-O show. I’ve always been working with some of the world’s best companies and, in this case, Christie is the company who can offer the best visual solution for this show,” comments Yves Pepin, creative consultant to the Yeosu Expo 2012 Committee on the Big-O project.
“We wanted the best possible solution for the Big-O show and all the companies that we were working with – including ECA2, Electrosonic and Wet – unanimously proposed Christie. In this case, we decided to select Christie as a partner for this event. We would never be able to forget the visual impact that the show had on us when we first saw it. The projected images were brilliant and crisp even when we did the trial projection in the rain. The visual projection not only tells an entertaining story but most importantly, it helps to visually convey the expo’s core message – the need for ocean protection,” comments Berni Cho, Project Manager, Big-O installation.
Under the expo’s theme “Living Ocean and Coast,” various promotional locations and pavilions at Yeosu Expo have deployed close to 250 Christie visual solutions for the 93-day event taking place May 12 to August 12, 2012. Christie J Series, Christie M Series, Christie E Series, Christie Roadie HD+35Ks, Christie Roadster S+20Ks, Christie LX Series and Christie® MicroTiles® are used to help visually convey the message about the need for ocean conservation to an estimated turnout of eight million visitors from around the world.
“We’re very fortunate to be selected as the contents sponsor for the Expo 2012 Yeosu Expo and to be involved in one of the biggest events in Korea this year. Most importantly, we’re able to transfer our knowledge and experience gained from our strong participation in the similar expo event in Shanghai during 2010,” comments Lin Yu, vice president, Christie Asia Pacific. “We started working on this event early last year and we’re pleased that our groundbreaking visual solutions are present in some of most significant installations including the Big-O, the Denmark Pavilion, the China Pavilion as well as corporate pavilions.”
As early as May 2011, Christie MicroTiles were selected by the Expo 2012 Yeosu Korea Organizing Committee to promote the event at the Incheon International Airport and Gimpo International Airport. These visual solutions will remain in use until the end of Expo.